


Birds All Sing, As If They Knew

by lco123



Category: Pretty Little Liars
Genre: AKA everyone is a little in love with Hanna Marin, F/F, Future Fic, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 12:54:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11291133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lco123/pseuds/lco123
Summary: Five Liar weddings, through the years. Canon-compliant through 7x18.





	Birds All Sing, As If They Knew

**Author's Note:**

> Well, we're almost at the end, friends. And no matter what happens on Tuesday, I will always imagine a happy ending for our dear Liars.
> 
> This was based on 7x18 but I didn't have a chance to write it until now. Also, until proven otherwise, I'm saying Twincer is real and she's the one who slept with Toby at the cabin, and maybe she's A.D. as well.
> 
> It's been quite a ride. I still plan to write fic even with the show ending, but this is almost definitely the last fic I'll write before the show ends, which feels significant, somehow. So thank you to everyone who reads and comments, on this fic and others. 
> 
> See you on the other side.

**HM+CR**

After the dust has settled—after A.D. has been caught and Mary has confessed to Dunhill’s murder and Charlotte has revealed herself to be very much still alive—Hanna and Caleb have a party at The Radley.

It’s really a wedding, minus the ceremony, but Hanna doesn’t want to call it that. Apparently whatever the two of them shared with Ashley Marin and the justice of the peace was wedding enough for Hanna. But all the same, she’s wearing white, Caleb’s in a suit, and there’s a champagne toast.

Aria gives it. Spencer isn’t asked to speak.

It’s not like things have been especially awkward between the three of them: Spencer, Hanna and Caleb. Spencer is happy for them, truly, she is. And after everything Hanna and Caleb have gone through together, it’s hardly a surprise that they’d want to make it official. Spencer doesn’t feel any residual hurt about the two of them being together.

But still. There’s something nagging at her, something she can’t quite place. A feeling of loss, maybe, or longing. It should be directed toward Caleb. That’s the logical thing; they recently dated. She was in love with him. And yet…

“What’re you drinking?” Mona asks. Not for the first time, she seems to appear out of nowhere, suddenly sitting backwards on a bar stool next to Spencer.

Spencer scowls at her. “I’m kind of enjoying being alone, actually.”

“That’s a funny name for a cocktail,” Mona quips.

“What do you want?” Spencer sighs.

Mona arches an eyebrow. “Nothing,” she replies. “Just a little conversation. That’s all.”

Spencer tilts her head, studying Mona’s face. Mona isn’t looking at her. She’s scanning the crowd. When her eyes settle, Spencer follows her gaze.

Hanna. Of course it’s Hanna. Laughing in her pretty white dress at something Caleb is saying. He’s standing behind her, his arms wrapped around her midsection. They look happy.

Spencer averts her eyes. Her stomach feels heavy, all of a sudden. And then she looks back at Mona, whose nails are digging into the back of her hand so hard that Spencer can see white marks even from where she’s sitting.

“This must be hard for you,” Spencer recognizes.

Mona shrugs, as though trying to shake off the feeling. “It doesn’t matter.” She tears her gaze away from Hanna, leveling Spencer with a slight glare. “Besides. What do you care?”

The harshness of her tone stings Spencer more than it should. “I don’t think we ever thanked you,” she says softly. “We couldn’t have won the game without you.”

“No, you couldn’t have.”

Spencer frowns. She doesn’t like feeling sympathy for Mona, but all the same. She’s saved them, time and time again. And gotten nothing back in return.

It’s never been easy being Spencer Hastings, but at least she’s had her friends by her side. Mona’s had nothing. Nobody.

“You want a drink?” Spencer offers.

Mona regards her carefully before nodding and swiveling around on her bar stool. Spencer motions for the bartender, ordering the two of them another round, which becomes two and then three. 

Before Spencer knows it, they're in the elevator of The Radley. It’s familiar but not; her stomach is tight again but this time with anticipation. She’s tipsy, though not as drunk as she’ll probably claim to be in the morning. 

Mona has an apartment, and Spencer has the barn, but for once in her life she doesn’t question why she’s here. Not when Mona takes her hand and leads her down the hall. Not when Mona closes the door and presses Spencer against it, kissing her urgently.

Spencer kisses back until she doesn’t see Hanna’s face behind her eyes. And then she kisses her some more.

 

**AM+EF**

There always seems to be a reason for them to wait.

Between Nicole and A.D. and Ezra’s family, it feels like it takes forever for them to set a date. By the time their wedding day has rolled around, Hanna is already seven months pregnant. Emily and Alison’s daughter, Olivia, has just turned two, and with an assist from Ali she gets to be the flower girl.

They’re getting married at the venue where Holden works. It seemed easier than trying to find a new place, and eventually Aria couldn’t deal with planning anymore. She thought her stress dreams would dissipate after A.D. was captured, but they just got more and more graphic. Ezra fell of a cliff in one of them. In another, she had to watch him be executed by hanging.

Aria figures once they’re married, she won’t feel so frantic all the time. That’s got to be it; she’s in bridezilla mode and everything will be better once they’re finally together forever.

Forever is starting to seem like a really long time.

Aria’s dad walks her down the aisle, and she and Ezra exchange personalized vows. He holds her hand too tightly as they head back down the aisle. 

“What a circus,” Ezra grumbles once they’ve made it through the crowd. His face softens slightly and he smiles at her. “Are you happy?”

She thinks he means it genuinely, but it comes out sounding vaguely sarcastic. “Yeah,” she replies, even though her head is spinning. “Aren’t you?”

He nods, once, and heads toward the reception hall. Aria almost calls after him to wait. She has to get changed into her dress for the reception, and they’d planned to make an entrance together. But she stops herself. She doesn’t want them to argue today.

Her friends help her change her clothes, each of them wearing a slightly different shade of purple. Spencer is uncharacteristically quiet, and Hanna seems pretty uncomfortable, but Alison and Emily are all smiles as they simultaneously assist Aria and Olivia.

“You guys have it all figured out,” Aria comments, her voice sounding wistful even to her own ears.

“You guys will too,” Emily assures her, but she’s not looking Aria in the eye when she says it.

Aria tries not to notice the glance Alison and Hanna share. She tries to dismiss the twinge she feels when she and Ezra are announced as Mr. and Mrs. Fitz. She tries to overlook the lack of warmth in Spencer’s toast, and Ezra’s eye roll right after.

Aria waits until after dessert, and then she sits in a bathroom stall and cries most of her makeup off. She’s able to pull herself together, but Ezra still notices how puffy her eyes look.

“What’s wrong with you?” he asks.

“I’m just so happy,” Aria lies. “It’s like a dream come true.”

 

**EF+AD**

It wasn’t that Emily didn’t want to get married. Far from it—she’s been waiting her entire life to marry Alison DiLaurentis. But between A.D. and the baby and the weddings of their friends, they just hadn’t gotten around to it.

And then one night, a few months after Olivia’s fourth birthday, Emily was watching from the doorway as Alison put their daughter to bed. She was so loving with Olivia, so affirming, and Emily felt her heart thud hard in her chest.

Alison smiled as she exited the room. “What is it?” she asked Emily.

“We need to get married,” Emily told her.

Alison raised an eyebrow, looking slightly bemused. “We _need_ to? As in right now? Did you commit a crime and you don’t want me to testify against you?”

Emily shook her head. “No. Not this time. I just—why haven’t we gotten married?”

Years ago she would have been terrified to ask Ali a question like that. But after five years together—not to mention a house and a child and a reputation as the power couple of the Rosewood High staff—she genuinely wanted to know.

“I have no idea,” Alison replied. “Let’s do it.”

So now here they are, on the big day. Well, not really so big. It’s a pretty small affair, just closest friends and family in the backyard. The day is warm, without a cloud in sight. Aria officiates, and then they have a barbecue.

“You guys are so suburban,” Spencer comments as Emily flips a burger patty. 

Emily shrugs. “We talked about going all out, but neither one of us really wanted that.” She puts down her spatula, deciding the patties can wait. It’s been a long while since all of them have been together, and she wants to enjoy every second of it. “So. How are you?” she asks Spencer.

“I’m good,” Spencer replies, starting to tear at her beer label. “Work’s been busy, and I really like my new place.”

Emily feels a warm body press behind her and a comforting pressure as Alison hooks her chin on her shoulder. “And?” Ali prompts, not missing a beat.

“And?” Spencer echoes.

Emily can’t see Alison’s face, but she knows Ali is rolling her eyes. “Your love life?”

Spencer flushes, just slightly. “Well, actually, I—”

“What did I miss?” Hanna asks, striding up with her daughter, Amelia—Mimi for short, an appropriate nickname for the spotlight-adoring little girl—balanced on her hip.

“Not much,” Spencer says quickly.

Emily frowns in Spencer’s direction. “We were just catching up,” she tells Hanna. “What’s new with you?” She sucks in a breath, realizing. “I mean, besides…”

“My divorce?” Hanna supplies. “It’s not a dirty word, Em. Really, I’m great. Everything should be finalized in the next couple of weeks, and then it’s all over.”

“And you’re really okay?” Ali asks.

Hanna nods. “Yeah. I mean, I’m sad, of course.” Mimi starts wiggling, so Hanna sets her down and Mimi takes off in the direction of Aria. “But I don’t want Mimi to grow up in a house where her parents are fighting and pretending not to be. I know what that was like. I’d rather she see Caleb and I being happy and healthy, even if we’re not together.”

“How’s Caleb doing?” Emily asks.

“I think he’s okay,” Hanna says. “He’s a great dad, that’s the important thing.” She huffs out a breath. “And that was always the problem, y’know? He's a better dad than he was a husband. He wanted to take care of me like I was his kid too.”

Spencer nods. “Sounds familiar.” Emily’s gaze involuntarily shifts to Toby, who looks like he’s trying not to break out in a cold sweat while chatting with Charlotte. She and Ali checked with Spencer before inviting Toby, but Spencer didn’t seem to mind.

Aria strolls up then, a giggling Mimi in her arms. “Special delivery!” Aria calls out with a grin.

“She seems awfully wired,” Hanna observes, staring at Aria pointedly.

Aria’s eyes widen, like she’s been caught. “Fine, I gave her a lollipop,” she admits.

“That’s why you’re her favorite aunt,” Spencer states.

“I’m not her favorite,” Aria insists, shifting Mimi back into Hanna’s arms.

“No, you are,” Hanna confirms, before looking at the rest of them and saying, “Sorry, guys.”

Aria plants her hands on her hips. It’s nice to see her being a bit playful, Emily thinks. Those times have been few and far between in the last couple years. Ezra isn’t here, unsurprisingly. 

“What were you guys talking about?” Aria asks.

“Divorce,” Spencer supplies flatly.

Aria inhales sharply, loud enough for them all to take notice. “Oh.”

Hanna locks eyes with Emily, then looks back at Aria. “I was just saying how relieved I feel,” she says, her tone sounding rather deliberate. “Taking the plunge was scary, for sure.”

Aria’s eyes seem just a touch watery as she nods. “I can only imagine.”

“But now I’m on the other side,” Hanna continues. “And it isn’t scary anymore.”

Emily feels Alison squeeze her a little tighter. She knows what Ali is trying to communicate: how grateful she is to be where they are. To be standing on solid ground.

 _If I say it out loud, the whole world is going to change_ , Emily recalls.

“I have something to tell you guys,” Spencer cuts in suddenly. They all turn to face her, and she squares her shoulders. “Mona and I—we’re together.”

_Yeah, it will._

 

**SH+MV**

“Holy shit!” Hanna mutters as they make their way outside.

“Shit’s a bad word, right?” Mimi asks, and god, this kid is definitely hers and Caleb’s, because she’s actually _smirking._

“Very bad,” Hanna confirms. “Don’t repeat it at school.”

Mimi giggles in a way that means she will absolutely be repeating it at school. Hanna hangs her head, but she can’t help laughing along with her. Mimi is almost seven and pretty much the coolest kid ever, if you ask Hanna.

Besides, Hanna feels like the swearing was warranted. Spencer and Mona are getting married at _The_ _White House_ , after all. One of the perks of Veronica Hastings being Vice President. Hanna doesn’t know how Mona and Spencer did it, but somehow the two of them completely rehabbed Veronica’s public image after the whole Mary Drake incident. Probably with some help from Charlotte.

Aria is already in the Rose Garden, and Mimi runs over as soon as she sees her. “Aunt Aria!” she squeals.

“Hi cutie!” Aria replies, hugging Mimi tightly before moving on to Hanna. “How’s it going?”

“Good!” Mimi says with a big smile, then, when Hanna nudges her, adds, “How are you?”

“I’m doing well,” Aria tells her. Hanna catches her gaze, wanting to confirm that it’s the truth. Aria’s eyes are soft and warm. “It’s good to see you. Both of you.”

Hanna didn’t realize how much she'd missed Aria until this moment, but now the feeling overwhelms her. She loops an arm through Aria’s and they stroll over to where Emily and Alison are helping Olivia and Leo find their seats.

“How is this for you?” Aria asks. “Really?”

Hanna nods slowly. “It’s good. I’m happy for them. I never would have thought, ten years ago—”

Aria snorts. “You’re telling me.” She tips her head against Hanna’s shoulder. “And now we’re the only single ones left. All alone.”

“Yeah,” Hanna says, though she doesn’t feel very alone, not with Aria right here.

The ceremony is beautiful, of course—tasteful but still emotional enough that Hanna is in tears by the end of it. 

“You have constantly surprised me, since the very first time I met you,” Spencer says during her vows. “But the biggest surprise of all is that every day, I fall a little more in love with you.”

“You are the most challenging, frustrating, impossible person I’ve ever known,” Mona says with a gentle grin. “And you are also my favorite person in the entire world. There’s no one else I can imagine sharing my life with.”

Hanna knows that that wasn’t always true. She felt Mona’s gaze on her at her own wedding. Spencer’s too, if she’s being honest. Hanna won’t take responsibility for the two of them getting together, but if she helped create some sort of bond, she’s glad. They’re made for each other.

“That’s real love,” Aria murmurs as the brides disperse. She sounds like she might have a lump in her throat.

“It is,” Hanna agrees, wiping at her eyes. “They found it.”

Behind them, the sun is setting. Mimi and Olivia are playing on The White House lawn, Leo trailing behind them. Alison and Emily are watching as well, their arms wrapped around each other. Aria reaches down and intertwines Hanna’s fingers with her own.

Hanna doesn’t think there’s any place she would rather be.

“Y’know something?” Aria says softly. “Maybe we found it, too.”

 

**HM+AM**

Hanna and Aria get married in the fall, on a rooftop in New York.

They have two flower girls (even though Olivia insists she’s too old), a ring bearer (Leo nearly loses the rings twice), two groomsman (Jason escorts Alison and Caleb, funnily enough, escorts Spencer), and four matrons of honor (after all these years, Emily is finally able to walk side by side with Mona).

It might be Alison’s favorite wedding yet.


End file.
